Rail vehicle

ABSTRACT

A rail vehicle includes electric equipment with electrical components and at least one container unit which is provided to accommodate the electrical components. The container unit of the rail vehicle enables the electrical equipment to be mounted in a non-complex manner and the components thereof being maintained in a simple and reliable manner. The container unit has several voltage regions which are adjacent to each other and which are spatially separated from each other. A different voltage is associated with each respective region.

The invention relates to a rail vehicle comprising electric equipmentwhich has electrical components and at least one container unit which isprovided to accommodate the electrical components.

The electric equipment of a rail vehicle usually has a plurality offunctional units which are housed in what are known as device containersor also electrical cabinets.

The object of the invention is to provide a rail vehicle comprising acontainer unit, by means of which a low outlay with respect to theassembly of the electric equipment and also simple and safe maintenanceof the accommodated components can be achieved.

For this purpose it is proposed that the container unit has a pluralityof voltage regions which are adjacent to each other and which arespatially separated from each other, a different voltage beingassociated with each region. A plurality of voltage units of theelectric equipment which are operated at different voltages can thus beaccommodated in an advantageously cohesive container unit. Due to aconcentration of different voltage units in a common container unit,simple assembly and simple maintenance of the electrical components canbe achieved, wherein, due to the delimitation of the voltage regionsfrom one another, a high level of safety in the event of maintenance ofthe accommodated components nevertheless can be attained. In thiscontext a “voltage unit” is to be understood to mean an amalgamation ofelectrical components that are operated at a common operating voltage.The voltage regions are expediently provided for voltage units that areeach operated at a different operating voltage. Here, a differentvoltage is advantageously associated with each of the voltage regionsand corresponds to the operating voltage of the respective accommodatedvoltage unit. The container unit may particularly advantageously have afirst voltage region associated with a high voltage (for example 1.5 kV,3 kV, 15 kV, 25 kV), and at least one further voltage region associatedwith a low voltage (for example 110 V, 380 V). The container unit maythus accommodate both electrical components of high-voltage equipment ofthe rail vehicle and electrical components of low-voltage equipment,such as functional units for the auxiliaries.

Due to the concentration of different voltage units in the commoncontainer unit, the provision of electric equipment that meets fireprotection requirements can be simplified in that the requirements areshifted to the properties of the container unit. Thus, if the containerunit meets certain requirements, this meeting of requirements can thenalso apply for the components accommodated in the container unit, andtherefore the required approval documentation for the individualcomponents can be omitted for the approval of the rail vehicle.

With regard to rail vehicles that are formed as a convoy of a pluralityof units or carriages, in particular as multiple unit trains, the designof the electric equipment in the various vehicle units or carriages canbe standardized advantageously to the largest possible extent due to thehousing of different components in a common container unit. Thecontainer unit is expediently formed as an elongate structural unit,wherein the voltage regions are arranged in succession as considered inthe longitudinal direction of the container unit. With regard to adimensioning of the container unit, the voltage regions occupyconstruction volumes of the container unit that are substantiallyidentical. An advantageous uniformity in the production and in the useof the container unit can thus be achieved. In particular, the voltageregions of a container unit having n voltage regions and an overallconstruction volume V may each occupy a structural volume ofapproximately V/n.

Due to the “spatial delimitation” of the voltage regions from oneanother, a clear association of the voltage regions with, in each case,a separate portion of the container unit can be achieved, and thereforeoverlap portions in which components of different voltage units arearranged can be avoided to the largest possible extent. In this contextthe voltage regions can also be understood to be “compartments”. Inorder to spatially delimit the voltage regions from one another, twoadjacent voltage regions are separated by an air gap, but preferably bya physical separation device, for example by a partition wall. Inparticular, a high contact protection can be achieved by a physicalseparation device, since it prevents access to an adjacent voltage unitand therefore contact of the components thereof when carrying out workon a voltage unit. Due to the spatial delimitation, en electricalisolation of the voltage regions from one another can be achieved inparticular.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the container unit isarranged below a carriage body of the rail vehicle. The necessarycooling of the electrical components can thus be achieved advantageouslyby the headwind. The container unit is arranged in particular completelybelow the floor region or the floor plate of the carriage body, wherebystructural measures in the passenger compartment, in particular alimitation of the number of seats, can be eliminated.

In addition it is proposed that the container unit has a cohesivesupporting arrangement, which supports the voltage regions jointly,whereby a structurally simple fastening of the structural elements ofthe container unit forming the voltage regions can be achieved.

In accordance with an advantageous development of the invention thecontainer unit is formed as an elongate structural unit, of which thelongitudinal direction is oriented perpendicularly to the longitudinaldirection of the rail vehicle. The spatial requirement of the containerunit can thus be optimized. In this embodiment of the container unit,said container unit may extend advantageously from a longitudinal sideregion of the rail vehicle into the opposite longitudinal side region.

In this context a particularly simple access to the container unit fromeither side can be achieved when the container unit has at least twomaintenance access points, which, as considered in the longitudinaldirection of the container unit, are each arranged at a different endside of the container unit. The two end sides are expediently orientedvertically and perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of thecontainer unit and are preferably each located in a longitudinal sideregion of the rail vehicle.

A selective access to the voltage regions can additionally be achievedwhen the container unit for each voltage region has at least oneseparate and independent maintenance access point. An “independentaccess point” for a voltage region is to be understood to mean an accesspoint that is independent of the actuation of the access points of theother voltage regions. The voltage regions here are advantageouslyaccessible directly and independently of one another. The accessibilityof the voltage regions can thus be standardized advantageously. Thevoltage regions, on account of their design, in principle have the sameaccessibility, wherein a differentiation in the accessibility can beprovided by special, additional devices. In particular for a voltageregion with high safety requirements, such as a high-voltage region,special access means or release means can be used. In a structurallysimple embodiment it is proposed for the container unit to have a baseside and for each voltage region to have at least one separate accesspoint, which is arranged on the base side.

The electrical connection of the components accommodated in thecontainer unit can also be simplified in that the rail vehicle has cableinterfaces that are arranged on the container unit and are eachassociated with a different voltage region. Due to the use of different,separate cable interfaces for different voltage regions, simple andclear cabling can be achieved.

The cable interfaces can be produced integrally with the container unitor can be fastened to the container unit inseparably therefrom. However,a high versatility in the use of the container unit can be achieved whenthe cable interfaces are mounted on the container unit so as to bedetachable therefrom. In the case of a rail vehicle that is designed asa multiple unit convoy, the cable interfaces can be adapted to thewiring of the respective convoy unit or of the respective carriage. Thehousing of electrical components and/or arrangement thereof in thevarious convoy units can be standardized advantageously to the greatestpossible extent, since the container unit can be adapted to therespective wiring in a versatile manner in terms of the cabling of thecomponents. The container unit can be manufactured expediently in such away that it has, for each voltage region, at least one space holder fora cable interface corresponding to the respective voltage unit and to beattached at the space holder when the rail vehicle is assembled.

An optimal and clear cable routing can also be achieved when the railvehicle has a cable routing unit having a plurality of cable routingpaths each associated with a different cable interface. In particular,in the case of a rail vehicle that is formed as a multiple unit convoy,the line paths can be standardized advantageously to the greatestpossible extent.

An exemplary embodiment of the invention will be explained on the basisof the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1: shows a schematic side view of an electrical multiple unit trainwith container units for accommodating electrical components,

FIG. 2: shows a perspective view of one of the container units frombelow, and

FIG. 3: shows a detailed view of a voltage region of the container unitfrom FIG. 2.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic side view of a rail vehicle 10 formed as amultiple unit train. The rail vehicle 10 draws electrical energy from arail network supply 12 which is designed as an overhead line andprovides a high voltage. This high voltage for example may correspond tothe voltage 1.5 kV DC, 3 kV DC, 15 kV AC or 25 kV AC. The rail vehicle10 is a vehicle convoy comprising three carriages 14.1, 14.2 and 14.3coupled to one another, wherein different numbers of carriages areconceivable for the vehicle convoy.

Electric equipment of the rail vehicle 10 can be supplied withelectrical energy by the rail network supply 12. Electrical components,in particular functional units of this electric equipment, which areoperated at the high voltage form the high-voltage equipment of the railvehicle 10. This high voltage, as is known, is stepped down into furthervoltages at which further functional units of the electric equipment areoperated. By way of example, auxiliary converters are functional unitscomprising electrical components which, proceeding from a low voltage,for example 110 V DC, generate an electrical power for final consumersof the rail vehicle 10, such as lighting installations, plug sockets inthe passenger compartment, etc. These auxiliary converters constituteexemplary functional units of the electric equipment which are operatedat a voltage that is different from and lower than the high voltage.

Electrical components of the electric equipment can be combined,depending on the operating voltage thereof, into voltage units eachassociated with a different voltage.

In the case of the considered rail vehicle 10, electrical components ofthe electric equipment are arranged in container units 16, wherein atleast one container unit 16.1, 16.2 and 16.3 is provided for eachcarriage 14.1, 14.2, 14.3 respectively.

FIG. 2 shows the container unit 16.1 in a perspective view from below.In the figure a carriage body 18 of the carriage 14.1 is illustrated inpart. In particular, the base side of the carriage body 18 can be seen,which forms the floor region 20 of a passenger compartment (not shown)of the carriage 14.1. The passenger compartment is arranged above thefloor region 20 with respect to the vertical direction 22, wherein thecontainer unit 16.1 is located below the carriage body 18 or the floorregion 20. The container unit 16.1 is therefore arranged below thepassenger compartment and, in technical language, is mounted in what isknown as an “underfloor arrangement”. The longitudinal direction 24 ofthe carriage body 18, which in particular corresponds to the directionof travel of the rail vehicle 10, is oriented perpendicularly to thevertical direction 22 (see also FIG. 1).

The carriage body 18 has an upper side (not shown in the figure), whichextends parallel to the base side and forms the roof region of the railvehicle 10. The base side and the upper side are interconnected bysubstantially vertically oriented longitudinal sides, which are oppositewith respect to the longitudinal direction 24 and extend parallelthereto and form the longitudinal side regions 28.a, 28.b of the railvehicle 10.

The container unit 16.1 is formed as an elongate structural unit, ofwhich the longitudinal direction 26 is oriented perpendicularly to thevertical direction 22 and the longitudinal direction 24 of the carriagebody 18. The container unit 16.1 extends from the longitudinal sideregion 28.a of the rail vehicle 10 to the longitudinal side region 28.b,which is opposite the longitudinal side region 28.a with respect to thelongitudinal direction 24. The container unit 16.1 hereby spans theentire floor region 20 between the longitudinal side regions 28.a and28.b along the direction 26.

With regard to the above-explained division of the electric equipment ofthe rail vehicle 10 into different voltage units, which each constitutean amalgamation of electrical components which are operated at anidentical and specific electrical voltage, the container unit 16.1 has aplurality of voltage regions 30, 32, 34 spatially delimited from oneanother, in each of which a different voltage unit 31, 33, 35 isaccommodated. The voltage regions 30, 32, 34 are used hereby asinstallation space in each case for a voltage unit 31, 33 or 35. Thevoltage units 31, 33, 35 are illustrated highly schematically in thefigure in a dashed manner. The voltage regions 30, 32, 34 border oneanother in pairs. They are arranged in succession as considered in thelongitudinal direction 26 of the container unit 16.1. The voltageregions 30, 32, 34 additionally each occupy a third of the total overallvolume of the container unit 16.1.

The voltage regions 30, 32, 34 hereby each accommodate an amalgamationof electrical components, wherein the amalgamations are each operated ata different electrical voltage. In the considered exemplary embodiment,the low voltage 308 V DC is associated with the voltage region 30, thehigh voltage 3 kV DC is associated with the voltage region 32, and thelow voltage 110 V DC is associated with the voltage region 34.

The voltage region 32, which is provided in particular for the voltageunit having the highest voltage (in particular for the voltage unit 33,which is operated at the high voltage of the rail vehicle 10), isarranged centrally in the container unit 16.1. Here, this voltage region32 (perpendicularly to the vertical direction 22 and the longitudinaldirection 24, i.e. considered in the longitudinal direction 26 of thecontainer unit 16.1) is arranged between voltage regions each associatedwith a lower voltage.

The voltage regions 30, 32, 34 are carried by a common, cohesivesupporting arrangement 36. This has two parallel elongate supportingrails 40, 42, which extend in the longitudinal direction 26 of thecontainer unit 16.1 from the longitudinal side region 28.a into thelongitudinal side region 28.b.

FIG. 3 shows a detailed view of the voltage region 30, in which thevoltage unit 31 is arranged with its electrical components. In order toenable access to these electrical components, the container unit 16.1has a first maintenance access point 46, which is arranged on an endside of the container unit 16.1 in the longitudinal side region 28.a,which end side is oriented perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction26. The maintenance access point 46 is hereby arranged in thelongitudinal side region 28.a of the rail vehicle 10 and thus allowslateral access, i.e. access perpendicularly to the longitudinaldirection 24 of the rail vehicle 10 and to the vertical direction 22, tothe electrical components of the voltage unit 31. The maintenance accesspoint 46 can be freed in particular by an opening of a maintenance flap47 illustrated in FIG. 2.

In order to enable access to the electrical components of the voltageunit 31 from below, the container unit 16.1 additionally has amaintenance access point 48, which is arranged on the base side of thecontainer unit 16.1 in the voltage region 30 thereof. This can beaccessed upwardly in the vertical direction 22 through the maintenanceaccess point 48. The maintenance access point 48 can be kept free bymeans of an assembly cover 50 illustrated in FIG. 2.

The voltage regions 30, 32, 34 are separated from one another by meansof a separation device 52, which is formed in particular as a partitionwall, such that, when work is being carried out on the components in avoltage region, the maintenance worker is protected against contact ofthe electrical components of an adjacent voltage unit. FIG. 3illustrates the separation device 52 separating the voltage region 30from the voltage region 32.

The description of the voltage region 30 also applies to the voltageregions 32 and 34. In particular, a separate maintenance access point isprovided from below for each further voltage region 32, 34 and is formedin accordance with the maintenance access point 48 for the voltageregion 30. Furthermore, the voltage regions 32 and 34 are also separatedfrom one another by means of a separation device 52.

In order to enable lateral access to the electrical components of thevoltage unit 35, the container unit 16.1 has a maintenance access point54, which is arranged on an end side of the container unit 16.1 in thelongitudinal side region 28.b, said end side being orientedperpendicularly to the longitudinal direction 26 (see FIG. 2). Themaintenance access point 54, which is arranged opposite the maintenanceaccess point 46, is arranged here in the longitudinal side region 28.bof the rail vehicle 10 and thus allows lateral access, i.e. accessperpendicularly to the longitudinal direction 24 of the rail vehicle 10and to the vertical direction 22, to the electrical components of thevoltage unit 35. The maintenance access point 54 can be freed by meansof a maintenance flap (not visible in the figures), which in particularis formed identically to the maintenance flap 47.

The container unit 16.1 is accessible from either side through themaintenance access points 46 and 54, i.e. in the two oppositelongitudinal side regions 28.a, 28.b of the rail vehicle 10.

The electrical connection of the electrical components of the voltageunits 31, 33, 35 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. Thisis implemented by means of cable interfaces 56, 58, 60, which are eachassociated with a different voltage region 30, 32 or 34. The electricalconnection for the voltage regions 30, 32, 34 is therefore provided ineach case by means of a separate cable interface 56, 58 and 16respectively, which is mounted laterally on the container unit 16.1. Thecable interfaces 56, 58, 60 have cable plugs, which are securedlaterally to the container unit 16.1 and/or have a cable feedthroughplate, through which cables are fed and which is mounted laterally onthe container unit 16.1.

The cable interfaces 56, 58, 60 are secured detachably on the containerunit 16.1. In particular, they are mounted on the container unit 16.1during assembly of the rail vehicle 10, in accordance with the fittingof the different voltage regions 30, 32, 34. For this purpose, thecontainer unit 16.1 is manufactured with space holders, which are eachintended for the mounting of at least one cable interface. A spaceholder unit 61 having a plurality of space holders can be seen in FIG.3, in which the container unit 16.1 is illustrated in an assembledstate, in which the cabling of the voltage units 31, 33, 35 is notprovided. The space holder unit 61 in particular has a plug-inpossibility for a cable plug and recesses for accommodating the cableplug, which are illustrated in FIG. 2. A cable feedthrough plate isarranged beside these recesses and is provided with bores for feedingthrough cables.

The cable guide of the rail vehicle 10 is adapted in the region of thecontainer unit 16.1 to the structure of this with the different voltageregions 30, 32, 34. A cable guide unit 62 thus has a plurality of cableguide paths 64, 66, 68, which are each associated with a different cableinterface 56, 58 or 60, or guide the cables to the associated cableinterface 56, 58 or 60.

The container unit 16.1 is produced in particular from metal and meetsthe fire protection requirements specified for vehicle approval. Thehousing parts forming the container unit 16.1 are embodied in particularat protection level IP55 and have a fire protection resistancecorresponding to E30. In particular, the fire protection requirementsaccording to DIN5510 are thus met also for the electric equipmentaccommodated in the container unit 16.1.

The further container units 16.2 and 16.3 are formed in their basicstructure at least substantially, in particular largely identically tothe container unit 16.1. With regard to their fitting, they may differfrom one another by different voltage units, wherein the cabling can beadapted to the respective fitting of the container units 16.2, 16.3 byuse of the different cable interfaces. A container unit that is uniformwith regard to the basic structure can thus be used for the electricalequipping in each carriage 14.1, 14.2, 14.3 and can be adaptedadvantageously in a versatile manner to the respective fittings inrespect of the cabling or the cable routing.

1-10. (canceled)
 11. A rail vehicle, comprising: electric equipment withelectrical components; at least one container unit for accommodatingsaid electrical components; said at least one container unit beingformed with a plurality of voltage regions adjacent one another andspatially separated from another, and wherein a different voltage isassociated with each said region.
 12. The rail vehicle according toclaim 11, wherein said container unit includes at least one separationdevice configured to separate two adjacent voltage regions.
 13. The railvehicle according to claim 11, comprising a carriage body, and whereinsaid container unit is disposed underneath said carriage body.
 14. Therail vehicle according to claim 11, wherein said container unitcomprises a cohesive supporting arrangement jointly carrying saidplurality of voltage regions.
 15. The rail vehicle according to claim11, wherein said container unit is an elongate structural unit with alongitudinal direction oriented perpendicularly to a longitudinaldirection of the rail vehicle.
 16. The rail vehicle according to claim15, wherein said container unit is formed with at least two maintenanceaccess points, which, relative to the longitudinal direction of saidcontainer unit, are each arranged at a different end side of saidcontainer unit.
 17. The rail vehicle according to claim 11, wherein saidcontainer unit has a base side and at least one separate maintenanceaccess point for each said voltage region formed in said base side. 18.The rail vehicle according to claim 11, further comprising a pluralityof cable interfaces arranged on said container unit and each associatedwith a different said voltage region.
 19. The rail vehicle according toclaim 18, wherein said cable interfaces are detachably mounted on saidcontainer unit.
 20. The rail vehicle according to claim 18, furthercomprising a cable routing unit, said cable routing unit having aplurality of cable routing paths each associated with a respective oneof said cable interfaces.